People need to learn how to deal with their anger and learn how to forgive. Otherwise, “If you don’t forgive, it’ll destroy you physically,” said Brother Loughlan Sofield during a presentation on “Forgiveness – It’s Good for Your Health” in St. Peter Parish, Point Pleasant Beach, on Jan. 29.

With the New Year in the rear view mirror, and resolutions in varied states of accomplishment or abandonment, parishes around the Diocese are providing programs to keep participants on the road to mental, physical and spiritual health, emphasizing the important integration of faith and wellness.More ...Friday, February 22, 2019

Once upon a time, in an era of fewer distractions and more predictable schedules, family members spent time in one another’s presence by default.

Homes centered around daily chores essential for survival – the growth, harvest and preparation of food, as well as the construction and upkeep of clothing, livestock, tools, the house itself – anything that allowed life to continue in spite of climate, conflict and other uncontrollable forces. And at the center of it all, for families of faith, was the recognition that none of this was even possible without the hand of God interceding daily.

The kitchen table is more than just a piece of furniture – it’s a hub. This is what ours looks like: Homework papers accompany pencils and eraser crumbs, a phone charger, notepads with grocery and to-do lists, a book I’ve been reading in five-minute spurts, scented candles, cork trivet, hand sanitizer, someone’s watch, paper napkins, a rubber bracelet from summer camp (it’s September, mind you), hair ties from out-the-door-for-school touchups, yellow legal pads and a bottle of vitamins.

Some of my earliest childhood memories include me sitting in a high-backed kitchen chair, legs dangling, reading aloud cookie recipes to my mother as she added ingredients to her stand mixer. They may have been recipes she knew by heart, but that didn’t matter; it was my mom’s way of indulging my four-year-old desire to “help,” which was so often followed by the desire to “sample.” There will never be a more delicious experience for me than a fresh, generously-cut slice of homemade bread.More ...Thursday, September 20, 2018